August 2004

August 31, 2004. Skype Technologies S.A., the Global Internet Telephony Company™ that offers people the ability to make superior quality voice calls using their Internet connections, today launched the beta version of Skype for Mac OS X. The software can be downloaded for free and is available immediately.

"We celebrated Skype's first anniversary on Sunday (August 29) with more than 9 million users from every country in the world," said Niklas Zennström, Skype CEO and co-founder. "Today we invite the millions of Mac users to connect with people with other operating systems and gain the benefits of 21st century voice communication."

As with all Skype software versions - Skype for Windows, Skype for Pocket PC and Skype for Linux - Skype for Mac OS X is free, easy to download, simple to use, and offers superior call quality and security. Skype users control their online presence and contact lists, and have many options to customize their overall Skype experience.

Skype for Mac OS X beta Free Features:

• Global Directory - User-built global Skype contacts directory with numerous search options and an easy add-a-contact tool


• Tracking - Call and message tracking


• Customization with My Picture image display


• File transfer - Send and receive encrypted files via Skype to others, including all Skype for Mac, Windows and Linux users


• Mobility - Log in to Skype account from Mac OS X, Windows or Linux-based PC or Pocket PC device anywhere in the world


• Security - end-to-end encryption


• Multiple Skype accounts on one computing device


• Designed and built for Mac OS with a compatible and user-friendly interface


• Instant messaging and more

Skype for Mac OS X beta includes the new SkypeOut service, offering global calling to any traditional telephone number at local rates. The service allows Skype users to pre-pay and use their computing device and Internet connection to call landlines and mobile phones anywhere in the world. SkypeOut Global Rate pricing is 1.7 Euro cents per minute (approx USD$0.02). The complete country rate sheet is available at http://www.skype.com/go/prices.

"Skype's aim is to delight people with a high quality product that expands their communications options and cost control. We have had steady and strong demand for a Mac version and are happy to deliver Skype for Mac OS X beta. We direct our development by listening to the comments and requests from Skype users. We look forward to hearing from the Mac users, who are known to 'think different,' about how we can continue to improve Skype," said Zennström.

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August 29 marks the first anniversary of Skype software. Today people are Skyping to and from every country in the world, enhancing free borderless knowledge exchange as people maintain contact with others as if they were around the corner, even when they are around the world.

Thank you to the journalists and bloggers who recognized and wrote about Skype in our first year. Thank you to everyone who has used Skype and recommended it your friends and contacts. We owe our success to all of you, and we are grateful for your support.

In creating Skype, Janus Friis and I believed that history had proven that the most seamless and affordable technology for promoting two- (or more) way communication always wins. We envisioned Skype, and the application of peer-to-peer technology to voice and other communications, as an opportunity to leapfrog the 100-year-old telephone network and expand relatedness.

Over the past year we have maintained our single focus, delighting consumers with a simple-to-use and high quality product. Expanded directory options, conference calling, presence settings, My Picture image features, SkypeOut and a plethora of other enhancements stem from suggestions and comments we received from Skype enthusiasts. We will continue to listen.

Over our first year in operation, the number of broadband users globally has passed the 100 million mark and continues to grow rapidly. Skype has approximately 9.5 million users, consistently more than 500,000 people connected via Skype at a given moment and more than 1.5 million users per day. Skype customers have already spent more than 1.2 billion minutes engaged in free Skype-to-Skype calls. More than 2 million SkypeOut calls have been initiated.

Skype has been honoured to work with world class companies including Siemens, Plantronics, PChome Online and carriers Level3, COLT, iBasis and Teleglobe and others. We thank them for their early leadership and contributions to our development, and we look forward to continued, and mutual, success. We will expand our alliances with forward-focused companies and institutions.

The company mantra is enhancing experience quality as we help move the Internet further toward the center of communications. Our exceptional development team will continue the innovations, fortifying the free base Skype offering for Windows PCs, Linux machines and Pocket PC-enabled PDAs and expanding to new platforms. Skype will develop new premium services, emphasize user driven innovations and help establish quality standards as the Global Internet Telephony Company.

Thank you for your involvement with Skype. We hope to continue delighting.

Sincerely,

**Niklas Zennström**
Skype CEO and co-founder

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